Moore , Oklahoma -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors of a monster tornado that pulverized a vast swath of the suburbs of Oklahoma City shifted Tuesday to one of recovery , officials said .

No new survivors or bodies have been found since the early hours after the tornado carved a trail 17 miles long on Monday afternoon .

`` We feel like we have basically gone from rescue and searching to recovery , '' Glenn Lewis , the mayor of hard-hit Moore , told CNN 's Anderson Cooper .

Lewis said he did n't expect the death toll to climb any higher . At least 24 people , including nine children , were killed , according to the state medical examiner 's office .

`` I think that will stand , '' Lewis said .

Earlier reports of at least 51 deaths were erroneous , said Amy Elliot , chief administrative officer for the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner . In the chaotic aftermath of the tornado , Elliot said it appeared some of the dead were counted twice .

Snapshot of courage after tornado levels school

` One of the strongest storms '

Damage assessments conducted Tuesday showed the tornado packed winds , at times , between 200 and 210 miles per hour , making it an EF5 -- the strongest category of tornadoes measured , the National Weather Service said Tuesday .

Teams are still evaluating the destruction , and the rating released Tuesday is preliminary . So far , they 've found that the tornado 's width spanned 1.3 miles -- the length of more than 22 football fields lined up end-to-end .

Given its breadth and power , it ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States , CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said .

Hardest hit was Moore , Oklahoma -- a suburban town of about 56,000 and the site of eerily similar twisters in 1999 and again four years later .

The scene -- block after block of flattened homes and businesses , the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools -- left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma 's infamous tornadoes reeling .

The devastation was so complete , the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape .

A search-and-rescue team was sent from nearby Tinker Air Force Base , which also provided search lights , vehicles and water trucks , while neighboring Texas sent an elite 80-member urban search team . The American Red Cross sent 25 emergency response vehicles .

Rescue crews were expected to complete a search for victims by late Tuesday , Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird told CNN .

`` We will be through every damaged piece of property in this city at least three times , '' Bird told reporters . `` And we hope to be done by dark tonight . ''

More than 230 people were injured , according to authorities .

The path of the storm

` Ca n't believe this '

Some residents of Moore returned home to piles of debris , hoping to find pictures or some memento .

`` You just wan na break down and cry , '' Steve Wilkerson told CNN , holding a laundry basket that contained the few , intact belongings he could find .

`` But you know , that 's how it goes , '' Wilkerson said , his voice shaking . `` You got ta be strong and keep going . ''

Wilkerson has been through tornadoes before , but nothing like this one .

`` I still ca n't believe this is happening , '' he said . `` You work 20 years , and then it 's gone in 15 minutes . ''

All that remained in some places were `` sticks and bricks , '' Fallin told reporters , calling the storm one of the `` most horrific storms and disasters that this state has ever faced . ''

Police , firefighters , volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm .

The weather was n't cooperating with their efforts : National Weather Service crews surveying the damage in Moore reported rain , half-inch hail and 45-mph winds over the debris field .

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol asked motorists to steer clear of Interstate 35 near Moore to free up lanes for disaster response resources streaming into the area .

And so many people were showing up to volunteer that authorities had to plead with would-be rescuers to stay away .

Path of devastation

The tornado struck at 2:45 pm C.T. on Monday -- only 5 minutes after the first warnings went out , according to the National Weather Service .

Moore residents had about 30 minutes before the massive storm entered the western part of the city , CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said .

Eerily similar tornado in 1999

Among the many buildings struck by the storm were two schools : Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementaries .

Of the nine children killed by the storm , authorities said seven died at Plaza Towers Elementary School where the tornado ripped the roof off and collapsed walls .

Among the dead is 9-year-old Ja'Nae Hornsby , who was killed at Plaza Towers , her father told CNN 's Anderson Cooper .

About 75 students and staff members were hunkered down in Plaza Towers when the tornado struck , CNN affiliate KFOR reported .

At one point , an estimated 24 children were missing from the school , but some later turned up at nearby churches .

On Monday , a father of a third-grader still missing sat quietly on a stool outside . Tears cascaded from his face as he waited for any news .

Even parents of survivors could n't wrap their minds around the tragedy .

`` I 'm speechless . How did this happen ? Why did this happen ? '' Norma Bautista asked . `` How do we explain this to the kids ? ... In an instant , everything 's gone . ''

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` It 's heartbreaking '

James Dickens , a gas-and-oil pipeline worker , grabbed his hard had and joined other rescuers at Plaza Towers Elementary School .

`` I felt it was my duty to come help , '' he said Tuesday after a long night of searching .

`` As a father , it 's humbling . It 's heartbreaking to know that we 've still got kids over there that 's possibly alive , but we do n't know . ''

Track current severe weather

Moore , and the Oklahoma City region , are far too familiar with disaster . In 1995 , 168 people died in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City .

In 1999 and then again in 2003 , Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to Monday 's storm . The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history , Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said .

`` We 're a tough state . This is a tough community , '' Lamb said . `` There is hope . We always have hope . We always have faith . ''

President Barack Obama , pledging whatever federal aid Oklahoma would need , praised teachers who protected their students .

`` If there is hope to hold on to -- not just in Oklahoma but around the country -- it 's the knowledge that the good people there and in Oklahoma are better prepared for this type of storm than most , '' he said . `` And what they can be certain of is that Americans from every corner of this country will be right there with them , opening our homes , our hearts , to those in need , because we 're a nation that stands with our fellow citizens as long as it takes . ''

10 deadliest tornadoes on record

More trouble brewing

The storm system that spawned Monday 's tornado and several other twisters Sunday is n't over yet .

Southwest Arkansas and northeast Texas , including Dallas , are under the gun for severe weather Tuesday . Those areas could see large hail , damaging winds and tornadoes .

A broader swath of the United States , from Texas to Indiana and up to Michigan , could see severe thunderstorms .

`` We could have a round 3 , '' CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said . `` Hopefully , it wo n't be as bad . ''

Severe weather 101

CNN 's Michael Pearson and Chelsea J. Carter wrote and reported from Atlanta , and Brian Todd reported from Moore . CNN 's Greg Botelho , Catherine Shoichet , Holly Yan , Gary Tuchman , Pamela Brown , George Howell , Ed Payne contributed to this report .

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NEW : Mayor of Moore does not expect death toll beyond 24

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Ja'Nae Hornsby , 9 , is among the children killed at the school , her father says

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Authorities revise death toll downward to 24 , including nine children

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Crews going `` board by board '' in search for survivors , victims , official says